Shadow Ninja
by FaithfullyTeamEdward1
Summary: Naomi Uchiha, like her twin brother, is a prodegy. But her world comes tumbling apart when she returns home to the news that her family and clan are dead. leaving her with a younger brother to raise and the need for revenge that he harbors to thwart. AU
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Okay, plz don't kill me for strting a new story again! I've just had this idea a long time coming and i wanted to try it out to see if anyone thought the idea was going to work. So plz read, enjoy and review!_

_DISCLAIMER: I dont own any of the characters! Well, except for Naomi of course! lol_

_ENJOY!_

* * *

**Shadow Ninja**

**By, FaithfullyTeamEdward1**

**Chapter One: A Storm Is Coming**

_**3rd**** Hokage's Study**_

The third Hokage flipped through the files of many different Anbu Operatives, but none really caught his eye for the suicide mission he was going to assign. He didn't like to send his ninja on the suicide missions, but it was a necessity to protect the village. Sarutobi only chose the most skilled and most successful ninja for those missions. He wanted to make sure, as best he could, that his operatives would complete the mission and return home to the Leaf Village safely. That in its self was a difficult task.

To single out a max of five Anbu of the highest skill was a terribly long, tedious procedure because the Leaf Village was home to so many talents.

The Nara clan was very skilled in their shadow jutsus. The Hyuuga clan had a very efficient fighting style that was all their own. The Yamanaka clan did quite well with their body switch jutsus, and the Uchihas were very widely known for their fire jutsus and their sharingan. So, many could see how hard pressed the Hokage was to have to make the final decisions for a squad of five Anbu ninja.

Sarutobi was caught on the idea of the Uchiha clan as he thought about the different Leaf Village talents. Hmm…Uchiha…

There it was, right on top of the whole pile- one of the most successful Uchiha ninjas. The 3rd Hokage picked up the file and began thumbing through the stats and information of one of his newest Operatives:

**Name: Uchiha, Naomi (Shadow Ninja)**

**D.O.B: 18 July 1981**

**Age: 14 Years **

**Siblings: Uchiha, Itachi (twin, 14)**

**Uchiha, Sasuke (younger, 9)**

**Rank: Anbu Black Ops**

**Former Sensei: Yukaro Ren**

**Squad Mates: Mosomo Kinrichi (Chunin, 14)**

**Hana Inuzuka (Chunin, 14) **

**Successful Missions: 65**

**Failed Missions: 0**

**Suicide Mission Acceptance: 19**

**Skilled in: -Fire Jutsu**

**-Sharingan (obtained at 8)**

**-Shadow Movement**

**-Etc…**

Sarutobi had heard a great deal of things about Naomi Uchiha, but they were usually linked with her and her twin brother, Itachi Uchiha. They were the Uchiha prodigies. Both Itachi and Naomi had obtained their family bloodline trait, the sharingan, at the earliest ages that the Clan had ever seen their children obtain use of it. There was no denying that, even for their young age, Naomi and Itachi were very intelligent and strong.

Hokage 3rd quickly put Naomi's file to the side to start the team, and then shuffled carefully through for Itachi's file. When he didn't find one, he sighed in frustration. How could they get his hopes up for making half the team Uchihas, and then dash it by there only being one in the pile?

He sat back in his chair, and folded his hands in his white robbed lap. There were too many amazing shinobi in the Leaf Village for this team to be such a difficult decision…

* * *

**_Uchiha Clan_**

"How's your ankle, Sasuke?" Itachi asked his little brother.

Sasuke had his arms clasped around Itachi's neck, riding on his older brother's back. They'd been at Itachi's favorite training grounds, training, when Sasuke tripped and twisted his ankle a bit. Itachi had been more than happy to give his brother a ride home, so that he didn't hurt himself more.

"Umm… It's fine. I could've walked you know." Sasuke had been disgruntled about having to be carried, but he loved the attention from his brother.

Itachi just chuckled and continued to walk forward towards home.

They were silent for the rest of the trip, but that silence was broken as soon as they walked through the front gates of their home and the house came into view. A figure was sitting on the front steps, cleaning something shiny, probably a headband or shurikin. The person had long black hair and was wearing the uniform of a Black OPS shinobi.

Itachi stopped, just short of the little river that ran through the center of their front yard. Sasuke scrambled quickly off of his brother's back.

"Sasuke-" Itachi began to protest about Sasuke walking on his ankle. But his brother was already on the ground and making his way to the figure on the porch.

The girl looked up just in time to be tackled backwards onto the porch by Sasuke.

"Naomi! You're home!" Sasuke hugged his older sister tightly. She'd been gone for a month on a mission to the Sand Village. He'd missed her a lot.

Naomi hugged her brother back and laughed quietly into his ear. "Hey Sasuke! Good to see you too!"

She stood, still holding her brother and pulled him up so that she could carry him. She knew he would protest to that, and laughed as he tried to get her to put him down.

"Fine. But what happened to the little two year old who never wanted me to put him down?"

Naomi wouldn't look at Itachi as she continued to tease Sasuke.

"He goes to the Ninja Academy now!" He almost whined.

"And so he does." Naomi nodded with a smile.

Itachi was glaring at his twin sister as he noticed that she wouldn't make eye contact with him. She was too busy teasing their little brother, but he could feel a tension in the air between Naomi and himself. She sensed something was up and it had to do with something about him.

"Guess where I was today?" Sasuke's voice broke through Itachi's thoughts and he looked between his siblings.

Naomi sighed as if she already knew and wasn't too happy about it. "Where were you today?" She asked anyway, still playing Sasuke's game.

"Training with Itachi! He was teaching me the shurikin!" Sasuke was overly excited about the attention he was getting form his older brother. Itachi was Sasuke's hero and he reveled in any time Itachi gave to him.

The smile on Naomi's face was now tight and forced. Her purple eyes flashed with suspicion, or anger, Itachi couldn't tell. Either one was bad, but Sasuke missed them all together. He was too happy to let Naomi bring him down, and she wasn't going to try to.

"Really?" Her voice was as tight as her smile. "And how did that go?" Naomi shot a quick glare at her older brother, another thing that Sasuke didn't pick up on.

"It was awesome! And I was doing really well too, huh Itachi?" He turned for confirmation from his brother. When Itachi nodded, stiffly, Sasuke's cheeks colored a little. "Well, that is, until I tripped over my own feet and twisted my ankle."

The violet of Naomi's irises flashed almost black that time, but her smiled remained tightly on her face.

"Where was the shurikin at this time?" Her eyes had left her little brother completely and the question was aimed at her twin.

"Oh, I wasn't holding anything at that time!" Sasuke rushed to answer, still not noticing the fact that his two older siblings were leveling each other with glares.

"Hmph. Alright, well I'm glad you had a good time Sasuke." Naomi heaved an exasperated sigh, and turned to go. "I'm dog tired. I need so much sleep. I'll see you tomorrow Sasuke."

She continued to walk, when something else came to her mind. She turned back to her brothers, Sasuke was already gone, probably to clean up, but Itachi was still there, glaring at her back.

In a voice as icy, and cool as she could force it, which would have scared just about anybody, she directed her words to her twin. "Oh, and Itachi, you'd best be at the meeting tomorrow."

Itachi's chin came up, his jaw line tight and angry. Matching her cold glare and icy tone, he replied, "And why is that, pray tell dear sister?"

"Some things just need to be done. Other wise, people begin to think that you're up to no good. Mustn't let the clan begin talk about you, now shall we brother?"

Without another word, Naomi's black hair swung over her shoulders and she was leaving to go to her chambers.

As she went, she didn't hear the hisses coming from Itachi as he spoke quietly as not for her to hear.

_A storm is coming sister, and you've no idea that of it's sorts. Enjoy what you have while you can. _

The air became very cold that night, and a silence fell over the village like no other night had ever brought. A storm was coming indeed, and no body could be prepared for the nature of what was actually going to happen.

* * *

_AN2: I hope you enjoyed that little look into the new mind i will be molding off and on._

_PLEASE REVIEW! Tell me that you love it! Tell me that you hate it! Tell me it needs work! IDC! Just please review!_

_Press the button...you know you want to_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Assignment**

_Red was splattered on almost every surface as Naomi ran through the streets of her clan's region of the Leaf Village. Shurikan and kunai knives were embedded in the stone of the buildings and the pavement. Her eyes darted around her, narrowed into slits as she took in the dead bodies of her clan members. She kept her features stony, evading the sadness that threatened to wash through her. When her focus came around to the front again, she stopped short, a few yards from a figure standing in her path. The figure opened its eyes, revealing red sharingan. Her jaw drop and her eyes grew icy…_

Naomi's violet eyes shot open and she sat up stalk straight in her bed, gasping and curling her fingers around the sheets. Teeth gritting together she struggled to control her breath as she examined her room. There was nobody in it but her.

Satisfied that she was alone, Naomi sighed. Swinging her legs out of bed, she sat there, on the edge of mattress, with her shoulders slumped in almost defeat. The sun, coming in through the window behind her, glinted off something to the right. Taking an interest in the gleam, Naomi shifted her gaze from the floor to her bedside table. Reaching over, she picked up one of the numerous frames that were set up there.

The silver frame had the Leaf Village leaf engraved intricately around the edges. Held in the frame was a picture of three people standing in front of the Uchiha Clan gates. A small, sad smile touched Naomi's lips as she gazed down at hers and her brothers' faces. All three were smiling. Itachi had an arm thrown over Naomi's shoulders like the protective brother he used to be, while Naomi was holding up a toddler Sasuke. It had been taken the day Itachi and Naomi had graduated from the Academy- at the age of eight.

Without any warning or any reason, a snap sounded through the room, and a crack broke across the glass. The split ran right across Itachi's face. Naomi gasped and almost dropped the picture, tightening her grip at the last moment. Squeezing her eyes shut, she dragged in a heavy breath. Cracks were a bad sign, and always had been. Every time a crack appeared out of nowhere, something bad happened.

With a sigh, Naomi replaced the now broken picture back on the nightstand next to the one of her squad and stood to walk to her bathroom. She hadn't noticed the tears that had touched her eyes as she'd looked at the picture, but they were threatening to overflow down her cheeks when she looked into the mirror. Shaking her head, Naomi turned away and turned the water on, letting steam fill the room.

Sasuke could hear the clicking of sandals walking across the outside patio. Scrambling out of bed, he ran to the door, and just as he poked his head out of his room, Naomi passed on her way out to the big meeting.

"Naomi!" He called. His older sister turned with a smile on her face.

"Good morning Sasuke. I would have thought you'd be asleep still with the training you've been doing lately," Naomi laughed as Sasuke hopped forward to give her a hug around her waist.

"Nuh uh. I'm wide awake," he said, pulling away, but she could detect the tiredness in his voice. Her little brother- always trying to be a tough man. Naomi laughed and ruffled his hair. Sasuke groaned and backed up more, reaching up to fix his hair back into little spikes. This just made Naomi laugh again. Then her little brother looked back up at her.

"Are you being assigned another mission today?" Sasuke asked, his black eyes growing large and innocent.

Her smile turned sad as she took in the dark irises of her younger brother. It was eerie just how much her little brother looked just how her twin brother once looked: small, innocent, kind and adoring. She couldn't understand what had made Itachi's eyes loose their humor and grow cold, uncaring and almost lifeless. She missed the loving brother he used to be. But she was the only one who'd even picked up on his hostile change.

"Yes Sasuke. I probably will be assigned a new mission today at the meeting."

She never could lie to Sasuke. Something about those large eyes always made her spill the truth, no matter how much she wished she could cushion the realities of what she did and what was asked of her. What she did was what he was going to become, so he had to know when she was going to be assigned. No matter how much she hated that disappointed down fall of his face.

"Ah man. You just got home though," he pouted.

One side of her remaining smile dropped and she knelt down to look her little brother in the eyes. He'd dropped his chin to stare at the ground already, and so she placed a finger under his pointed chin and lifted, making Sasuke look at her. Naomi could see that he was trying hard not to cry. He tried so hard to be like Itachi, but they both knew it was Naomi that gave him the attention he wanted, and he loved her for that. It disappointed him the most when she was gone.

"I know Sasuke, but it's what I have to do. You know that. It's a lot of commitment to be a member of the ANBU unit." Leaning forward, she pulled him into a hug. "That is what you want to do when you're older right? Be ANBU?" She could feel him nod against her shoulder, his little arms twining around her neck.

Naomi smiled to herself. It was good to know that Sasuke was still a little boy, and could act like it, no matter how much he tried to be all grown up. He was constantly imitating Itachi, sometimes even their father.

"I love you Sasuke. But I have to get to that meeting now," Naomi whispered. Pulling away, she kissed his forehead. Sasuke scrunched up his nose and rubbed his forehead, all boy again. This made Naomi laugh. "Bye, Sasuke."

"Bye Naomi!" Sasuke yelled over his shoulder, waving as he took off in the other direction. Naomi sighed and turned, walking straight into Itachi.

Eyes narrowing, she took a step back to look up at her twin brother. His eyes were flat black, no emotion showing in their depths.

"Naomi," he said in a falsely pleasant greeting as he nodded towards his sister.

"Itachi," she responded in the same manner. Then without another word to each other, they walked past one another, Itachi moving in the direction Sasuke had gone, Naomi heading towards the house's front gates.

Once she was through the gates, Naomi shivered and leaned against the stonewall, throwing her head up to look at the sky. Closing her eyes, Itachi's lifelessly cold eyes stared back at her from behind her closed lids. She hated what was becoming of her brother. He'd once been the best brother anyone could have. But lately he'd become so detached and unreachable. He put up a deceiving front to Sasuke, but Naomi saw the growing darkness in his black eyes. It scared her to think about what could possibly be going through his head. His eyes darted around as if he was afraid something was going to attack him, or as if he were daring someone to question his abilities. It just simply wasn't like him.

Unable to delay any longer, Naomi frowned, and shoved her shoulder blades away from the wall. Placing her hands together in a series of motions, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Within a blink of an eye, her feet came down on the stones in front of the ANBU headquarters at the center of the Uchiha clan region.

Taking a second to readjust her Leaf Village headband, and run a hand through her black hair, Naomi looked up at the clear blue sky. A ring of gray clouds was circling at the outskirts of town, threatening to close in on the bright blue. That made a shiver run through Naomi's spine. Those clouds were so ominous.

Biting her lip, Naomi leveled her gaze on the doors, and stepped forward, squaring her shoulders, all business.

* * *

"Wait! What are you doing?" he said, eyes widening in shock.

The second person said nothing as he crept forward, a kunai glinting in his hand and eyes gleaming red. The first person backed up, blinking. When he opened his eyes again, sharingan had turned them red. But he was too slow. In the second it'd taken him to conjure up his sharingan, the second person had lurched forward in attack. The first man was defenseless against the second's speed. Before he could so much as raise his arms to defend his face, the kunai had been swept in an arch across his throat.

Blood spilled everywhere and his body collapsed to the ground. The man that'd killed the first lifted the corpse up and dumped it in the river. Without blinking, or any emotion breaking across his face, the remaining man turned away from the scene and walked calmly in the other direction.

* * *

The room grew silent and the ANBU members stood as the Hokage walked in. Naomi stood stalk straight, stiff faced. She was a person that enjoyed laughing, but when it came to her work as a ninja, all joking manner was gone and she was all business. Her eyes, always keeping the Hokage in her peripherals, scanned the lines of Uchiha Shinobi and other ANBU operatives. She knew everyone there. Every single one of them had been a part of her life since she could remember. But there was one stony face that should have been there, but was absent.

She ignored the flash of worry that shot through her. Two years ago, Itachi wouldn't have missed a meeting for anything. He would have been punctual, early even. But a couple of years can make a lot of differences.

Escorting the Hokage were Asuma Sarutobi and Kakashi Hatake. Once they'd walked the length of ninja, the trio turned to face the ANBU as the ninja closed ranks to face the Hokage. All of their hands were folded behind their backs.

"A problem has risen in the Hidden Rain Village," the Hokage's withering, but strong enough, voice rang through the room. "They've requested the Leaf's help. We cannot release any information except to those that are assigned this particular mission. This team will be made up of five ninja, headed by Asuma."

Kakashi handed a file to the Hokage. His wrinkled hand gripped it tightly as he opened it to announce the operatives that would be assigned the mission to the Rain.

"Accompanying Asuma to the Rain village will be as followed." He thumbed one page off the top and then began reading the names.

"Hideki, Etsuko." A tall brunette girl stepped forward. Naomi recognized her from the academy. Etsuko was three years older than her.

"Isamu, Kiyoshi." A blond male, that'd been four years ahead of Naomi, followed Etsuko.

"Isamu, Yori." Another blond, Kiyoshi's younger brother, went up as well.

Two spots left. Naomi thought to herself. Part of her wanted her name to be called, but the worried part at the back of her mind didn't want to get assigned.

"Uchiha," Naomi's breath caught in her throat, "Haru." The air released. Naomi's cousin, his short hair swishing about, joined the team.

"And coming in as second in command will be, Uchiha, Naomi."

Naomi nodded slightly, more to herself than anyone else, before stepping up to join her team, standing next to Asuma. Itachi hadn't even been named to the mission squad. Half of Naomi was surprised at this, but a more rational part understood that it was probably his reclusive behavior that was taking away his assignments.

"You five will leave at dawn tomorrow. Instructions will be given in the briefing room in half an hour," the Hokage said to the mission squad. They all nodded their understanding. The Hokage nodded in return and then turned back to the crowd of left over shinobi. "Dismissed."

The room went up in smoke as shinobi disappeared, except for Asuma, Kakashi and Naomi. Asuma had placed a hand on Naomi's shoulder before she could poof away, signaling her to stay put. Not being in ceremony anymore, the three assumed an air of relaxed friendliness and casualty.

"Are you alright Naomi?" Asuma asked.

Naomi sighed. Asuma had been like another older brother her whole life. She couldn't hide anything from him, but she still tried.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Naomi's voice was tight with her attempt at not sounding stressed or worried. Asuma and Kakashi each raised an eyebrow, knowing Naomi all too well. They're five years older, but have been on numerous missions with Naomi since her graduation from the academy. Asuma had tutored her through her last year at the academy and Kakashi had been her sparring partner while she was in training for her Chunin and Jonin exams. They were also the ones who had discovered her talent as a medical ninja. The three were thick as thieves and knew each other front and back.

"It couldn't be the fact that you've been pretty mopey lately, Uchiha," Kakashi stated matter-of-factly.

Grimacing, Naomi shrugged. "I don't know. Something's up with Itachi, but I don't know what it is."

"Probably just doesn't want to deal with his kid sister anymore," Asuma laughed, nudging Naomi in the shoulder with his elbow.

Naomi shoved back, forcing a smile. "I guess, even though I'm technically not his kid sister. We're the same age, remember?"

There was so much more to it than Itachi being a little off though. She couldn't bring herself to tell her friends. There was no easy way to explain the change she'd seen in her twin. Everything they used to share seemed to have been washed away. Friendly openness had been replaced by cold walls.

"I'm sure he'll get over it Nay. He's just being a teenager," Kakashi assured with an arm thrown over her shoulders.

Asuma punched her lightly in the shoulder, "Yeah I'm sure it's nothing too serious. Now come on! You promised you'd help me get a date with Kurenai!"

Naomi rolled her eyes. Asuma had been trying to get Kurenai to go out with him since they were at the academy together. Obviously, without luck. Kurenai was like a big sister to Naomi, and Naomi had always thought Kurenai and Asuma would be cute together.

"Fine Sarutobi, I'll help you out," Naomi gave in. A huge grin broke out across Asuma's face at Naomi's compliance.

"Thanks Uchiha! I'll owe you for sure."

"Oh yes you will," Naomi agreed. Without another word the three went up in smoke, disappearing to go find Kurenai. It always humored Naomi to watch Asuma fall all over himself trying to talk to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Mission Briefing**

Naomi had been right. As per usual, Asuma had fallen all over himself trying to speak coherently to Kurenai. He had again been turned down by her while Kakashi and Naomi listened in around the corner, trying to keep from laughing at their poor friend. When Asuma had showed back up around the corner, his face was tomato red, causing the other two to lose their remaining self-control, bursting into obnoxious laughter.

She had felt slightly bad for her friend, but had needed the laugh. With whatever was going on with Itachi, her life had become much too stressful. Kakashi and Asuma were always a good way to blow off steam. Those two were such clowns. Every time she was with them, she couldn't help but enjoy herself, if not just a little. They knew just how to cheer her up and how to get her mind off of the things that were bothering her. She could always count on them for a good time.

Now, she was wandering through one of the abandoned training grounds. She always went there to think. The grass was emerald green. The tall trees were full of leaves. There was one tree in particular she always went to sit under. At the center of the training ground was a tall Sakura blossom tree. Its pink blossoms floated around it, drifting to the ground gracefully when it was time for them to detach from the branches. It always smelled sweet, allowing Naomi to relax. Settling in against the trunk, she sank to the ground and breathed in the blossoms's scent. In an instant all her worries began to seep away. A relaxing calm came over her, allowing her to close her eyes and let a smile spread across her face.

Whenever she came to her tree, she never let the darkness in her life affect her thoughts. She only thought about the days during her academy years where she and Itachi would disappear for hours to train in this very arena. The first assignment she was sent on as a Chunin and how proud her father had looked. The day Sasuke was born and how happy the whole family was to have the new addition. How she, Kakashi and Asuma would always steal away and explore the surrounding forest around the village. Each memory was precious to her and made her happy to think of. The brother Itachi used to be, not the stranger he had become. He had laid the groundwork for who she had wanted to become. It wasn't until the past couple of years that that imagine had begun to change. He was heading down a darker path than she cared to follow. She didn't know what was happening exactly, she knew it wasn't going to be good. Naomi was almost afraid to go on this mission for fear that Itachi would do something while she was gone.

After a few minutes of reliving her happier memories, Naomi opened her eyes and stared up at the pink blossoms. "At least keep Sasuke safe." She whispered to herself. It was the least she could ask for. He had so much left to experience. If anything happened to him, she would never be able to live with herself.

Standing again, she made her way quickly out of the arena. The mission briefing was going to begin soon and she couldn't be late for it.

* * *

A figured watched as Naomi whispered to the tree. A grimace passed across its face at the words she spoke. She loved her brother beyond doubt and would die for him in a heartbeat. The figure knew their next steps had to be precise and sure, otherwise everything they'd done would have been for nothing.

As Naomi disappeared into the trees, the figure followed far enough away to not be detected. Naomi was the key to their undoing. They had to be more than just careful. They had to be flawless.

* * *

Naomi arrived to the briefing room just as the doors were being locked and sealed. Each Jutsu was designed to disable ease dropping and keep random shinobi from popping in without clearance. She slipped in just as the first door was being sealed.

"Glad you could join us Naomi," the Hokage greeted, pointing out her tardiness.

"Sorry sir," she apologized with a slight bow before taking her kneeling position next to Asuma, "dozed off."

The Hokage waved the explanation away and turned to face the map hanging behind him. The land it depicted was the Land of Fire, zeroing in on the paths from the Leaf village to the Village hidden in the Rain.

"Vast and extremely dense forest lay between us and the Rain village. This will make for good cover. However, it is the perfect place to set traps. You will move in pairs through the forest in the straight line out Jonins have been training with lately. One pair will trail behind. Yori and Estuko, Kiyoshi and Haru. Naomi and Asuma will tail the team.

"Now that's how you will approach. The reason for our dispatch is that a group of rogue ninja have taken control of the village. They have imprisoned the women, enslaved the children and have been periodically killing off the men. Their underground security team was able to send a plea for help just this morning. They're unable to handle the problem themselves. So when you come within ten miles of the village, the underground will signal with a mockingbird's call. From there, they will brief you on the mission."

The shinobi nodded their understanding.

"Next to nothing is known about this group. The report said that they call themselves the Akatsuki. They are made up of known rogues from numerous villages. Other than that, we have no intelligence on them. Kiyoshi will be in charge of putting together the field report. Naomi will head the medical efforts."

Hokage Sarutobi's wrinkled eyes looked worn and tired as he finished the briefing. He was a shinobi just as much as the others but none-the-less did not like sending his shinobi or kunochi into battle. It was especially hard when they had little knowledge on the enemy.

He ran a hand over his face, rubbing his eyes.

"Be careful, all of you. We don't know nearly enough about these Akatsuki ninja. May all of you make it back safely."

With a weary wave of his hand, the briefing was over. This time, the room did not go up in smoke. Instead, the squad made their way out to the common room together. Asuma took command the moment everyone was out of the briefing room.

"We gather at the front gate tomorrow at dawn. Pack efficiently but lightly because we have to move quickly. Naomi, make sure you have your medical supplies maxed out on your person. Yori, have your genjutsu at full ability because it sounds like we're going to need it. Estuko, you need to have your medicals supplies too. Naomi can't be responsible for all six of us." Estuko nodded reluctantly. It was obvious that she wasn't happy to be under the command of a minor. "Kiyoshi and Haru, each of you needs to have all the scrolls you can handle. We need to have as many surprises as we can possibly bring."

The whole group nodded their agreement.

"Alright, you all get a decent nights rest. We're going to need it."

All but Asuma and Naomi disappeared in puffs of smoke.

"Walk you to the gate?" He asked as Naomi made her way for the unsealed doors.

"Sure. That'd be great," Naomi smiled.

Together they walked towards the Uchiha gates which weren't too far from Sarutobi Manor. They were almost there when a small, wolf-like puppy came bounding around the corner, followed by two people.

"Hana!" Naomi called out happily as her friend came into view. Hana turned, smiling widely, pulling her little brother, Kiba, to a halt in front of Naomi and Asuma.

"Hey Naomi," She said, giving Naomi a quick hug. "Haven't seen you in a few days. How you been?"

The puppy had taken a liking to sniffing Asuma as he tried to scoot away from it.

"Just got home yesterday. I'm heading out again first thing tomorrow morning."

"So soon?" Hana asked. "Keep taking off so quickly and your family's going to forget that they have a daughter too." She laughed.

Hana and Naomi had been classmates in the academy and squad-mates as genin. They'd been friends for as long as they could remember. Currently they were being trained as medical ninja together. They had had a couple years with the legendary Sannin, Tsunade until their mentor disappeared without a trace- after which Hana switch to veterinary medicine. Hana was a member of the Inuzuka clan- known for their prestigious canine unit. Her younger brother, Kiba, was in the same class as Sasuke at the academy.

"Well it's the way the job goes," Naomi laughed back.

Hana shrugged, agreeing.

Kiba had followed the puppy, one of Hana's Three Haimaru Brothers that she was training. As Kiba wandered closer to the dog, another puppy popped out of his shirt collar, barking playfully at the larger puppy.

"Hey Kiba, who's the little guy?" Naomi asked, walking with Hana over to her dog and Asuma.

Kiba took his puppy from out of his shirt and curled him in his arms. The puppy was tiny and adorable, and for an eight year old, Kiba was extremely gentle with him.

"His name's Akamaru. My mom gave him to me to train," Kiba explained.

"Very cool. Is Hana here being helpful?" Naomi asked

Kiba shrugged, causing Hana to fake offence and Naomi and Asuma to laugh. Naomi shuffled Kiba's puffy brown hair like she did to Sasuke. Kiba backed away and scrunched his nose up in the same way Sasuke always did. The three older ninja laughed.

Hana reached over and gave Naomi a tight hug. "It was good seeing you again Nay. Be careful out there okay?"

"I will Hana." Naomi squeezed back tightly.

Once they released each other, Hana and Kiba continued walking the way they'd been going and Asuma continued to walk Naomi home. They were still a good mile away when Asuma finally spoke.

"You miss being a normal teenager sometimes huh?"

"What?" Naomi asked, taken aback.

"I saw how you looked at Hana and Kiba. She's not constantly on missions, making more time for Kiba. You wish you had that with Sasuke sometimes," Asuma explained.

Naomi shrugged. "Yeah, I do miss spending time with Sasuke a lot of the time. I love my job, but it does take a lot of time out of what I could spend with Sasuke," she admitted.

Asuma threw a reassuring arm over her shoulders.

"After this mission, take a couple weeks off okay? You work hard for being only sixteen. You deserve time off to be with your family."

"I can't-" Naomi began to argue, but Asuma cut her off.

"Yes you can Uchiha. Promise you will?"

"No I'm not going-" Her words were cut off as Asuma took up one of her arms playfully and twisted it behind her back.

"Say you will or I won't let you go," he threatened.

After a few tightening twists, Naomi finally gave in. "Fine, fine, I'll take a couple weeks off after this mission!"

Asuma released her arm. "Yeesh," she huffed. Asuma just shrugged.

Soon after, they arrived at the Uchiha gate.

"Alright Uchiha, I'll see you before dawn."

Naomi nodded and turned to go inside with a quick "Thanks for walking me".

Little did she know that the calm her home usually seemed to give off was being disturbed. There was over two hundred yards from the gate to the front of the main house. Out of sight, the beginning of trouble was rising in heat.

* * *

_**AN: PLEASE REVIEW! :D**_


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: I'm BAAAAAAAAACK... :) man it literally has been about 2 years since i've updated ANYTHING. So i won't be surprised if alll of my fans have moved on. It;s to be expected since i neglected my stories for so long. Well, even if it may not show, i really did work hard on this. some of the lines are directly from the anime and everything, so i did have to do some research and some refamiliarizing with some story points. I hope anyone who still is following my stuff enjoys it :)_

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**Chapter Four: The Breaking Point**

Three men from the Uchiha police force were standing outside of Naomi's house when she came walking up. The accusatory sounds of their voices had made her pause and take cover in order to listen in. With a few hand signals, Naomi disappeared into the shadows. She was the best shadow handler in the village- even better than the members of the Nara clan who were notorious for shadow handling. Where some ninja could meld with inanimate objects, Naomi could travel completely undetectable through shadows.

Through the mid-day shadows, Naomi made her way forward to the front of the house- towards the sounds of the accusing voices. The police were talking to Itachi and the conversation was not going well at all. Itachi's best friend, Shisui, had been found in the river with a suicide note pinned down with a rock nearby. They weren't coming out and saying it but it was obvious that they suspected Itachi.

Naomi came around the corner, still concealed in the shadows, as the ninja were exiting the house. She recognized all three- Yashiro, Tekka, and Inabi. They'd each been some of the easiest going shinobi that were part of the Uchiha police force. The fact that they could be taking up such serious tones meant that they truly believed that Itachi was involved.

"By the way, we have our own connections into the Black ops. If you try and sweep this investigation under the rug, we're going to know about it," Inabi threatened.

Naomi could feel Itachi's already simmering energy burst into a fiery explosion before he had even responded. Without even turning to face him, she knew the terrifying face he would be wearing, capped off with a perfect set of sharingan. Naomi tensed, ready to step in if necessary.

"Why don't you just come out and say it? You think I had a hand in this don't you?" Itachi's voice was dangerous. Anyone else would have faltered at his tone.

"Yeah, that's right," Tekka growled matter-of-factly, "little punk."

"Listen Itachi, if I find that you betrayed this clan, I want you to know, you'll pay for your wrongs!" Yashiro assured him threateningly.

Before Naomi could react, Itachi shot forward and in a matter of seconds Inabi, Tekka and Yashiro were disarmed and knocked to the ground. The moment the three hit the ground, Naomi heard one pair of footsteps rushing from behind her. The steps belonged to her father, running up, still in full uniform, returning from the clan meeting.

"Like I said before, appearances and preconceptions aren't going to tell you anything. For instance, you've made the mistake of assuming I am a patient man," Itachi began, kneeling in the dirt with his head down. "The clan, the clan. You overestimate your own abilities with no idea of the depth of my own. And look at you now, groveling in the dirt."

The three police groaned as they all lay sprawled on the ground.

"Obsessed with the organization, obsessed with the clan, obsessed with our lineage. The worthless compulsion that limits our capabilities, leading us to fear what you don't understand."

Itachi stood, a kunai slipping silently into his hand before he launches it at the Uchiha emblem painted on the wall opposite him.

"I've had enough, there's no hope left for this pathetic clan," Itachi all but whispered. To everybody else he sounded angry. To Naomi, his words were underlined with sorrow. That didn't stop her mouth from dropping open at his words.

Just a couple years ago, Itachi would have done anything to achieve the height of respect and authority that their father held. Fugaku Uchiha had been Itachi's role model. To hear him say that he had no hope left for the clan was like a kunai to Naomi's heart. It was further proof that she was losing her big brother.

"ITACHI!" Their father exclaimed at the scene in front of him. Itachi's gaze shot dangerously to his father.

A clicking noise came from Naomi's side, inside the house. She shifted her focus to the click, finding Sasuke watching everything that was happening. _He's probably been there the whole time._ She thought to herself.

Inabi, Yashiro and Tekka rose from the ground, appearing quickly at Fugaku's sides.

"Sir, your son was neither at the clan meeting nor the ANBU mission assignment today. During these hours, Shisui was found dead in the river- a supposed suicide. When we came to speak with Itachi, he attacked all three of us. We request a warrant for his arrest," Yashiro said, bowing in respect.

Naomi watched as her father's eyes went flat, and the creases in his face turned sad. He turned to face his eldest son, looking him up and down. There was no mistaking the disengaged change Itachi had taken on. Her father had to see it, even if she identified it better.

"That won't be necessary. I'm sure he was only taking a down day. His numerous responsibilities make him a busy man and I'm sure are tiring," Fugaku finally decided.

The men's eyes flashed with anger, but they nodded. "We apologize for the disturbance," they said grudgingly. And then they were gone. Naomi's father then turned his full attention to his son. She remained in the shadows, willing Sasuke to stay put as well.

"Where were you?" Was all her father asked.

"None of your business," Itachi muttered. The red in his eyes had yet to fade, indicating he was still on high alert.

"I can't keep standing up for you if you continue with this mysterious behavior."

"I never asked you to defend me," Itachi growled.

"You need to start acting like the leader you're meant to be. You are the heir to the clan, Itachi."

Itachi snapped again. Within the next second, he was in his father's face.

Before he could do anything, Naomi rushed out of the shadows.

"Itachi!" Naomi yelled, "Stop! Sasuke!" She pointed to their brother hiding behind the door. Itachi's sharingan flashed towards the door and then to his sister. Slowly the red began to fade back to black as the sharingan disappeared. He stepped back away from their father; still, anger lived in his eyes.

Without a word, he shook his head at his sister, and then was gone. Sasuke ran out as if to stop him from leaving, but Naomi caught him by the shoulders before he could make it far.

"No Sasuke. Leave him be." Naomi's voice was sad as she restrained her brother. He didn't give much of a fight, but she knew how much he wanted to go after their brother.

"Naomi," Her father was ordering her, "Take Sasuke inside. You are not to leave until your mission calls you to in the morning."

"Yes sir," Naomi nodded to her father and led Sasuke inside. She didn't let go of his shoulders until she had led him to her room and had closed them inside.

Naomi slumped onto her bed, her face falling in defeat. Sasuke followed her to where she sat and stood in front of her.

"Big sister, what's going on?" He asked. Naomi looked up to face her little brother. His dark eyes were wide with innocence. There was no mistaking the fact that he had not caught onto the rest of Itachi's changes. All he had seen was his outburst to the three shinobi outside of their house and the almost attack on their father.

"Itachi's just going through a rough time right now Sasuke."

That was obviously not all that was going on. Something horrible was going on with her brother. She didn't know what it could possibly be, but she knew she had to try and find out before he did something insane. Already, she didn't know whether she believed that he didn't kill Shisui. What would possess him to kill his best friend made no sense to her, but she had no choice but to keep in mind that he very well may have been responsible.

Sasuke's face dropped into a pout. "I miss how much time he used to spend with me." He was trying not to sniffle.

Reaching out, Naomi pulled her younger brother into a hug, rubbing his back.

"I know Sasuke. I miss him too." Bitterness underlined her words, but it took her by surprise how much she did miss him.

Naomi let Sasuke cuddle up with her until he fell asleep. Then, carefully, she lifted him and carried him to his own room. It surprised her how heavy he'd become. She guessed it had been awhile since she'd carried him like this. He either didn't want her to when she was home because he was trying to prove that he was grown up, or she wasn't home. It was amazing how often she really wasn't home. No wonder he'd become so attached to Itachi.

After she put him down and tucked him in, she leaned down and kissed his forehead. Sasuke finally looked his eight years when he was asleep. He didn't have to pretend he was older or tougher. He was just Sasuke when he was asleep.

Silent as a shadow Naomi slipped out of his room and concealed herself within the shadows of the home, sneaking down the hall to the front entrance. Her parents were asleep already, so it would have been easy enough to get past them without her shadow Jutsu with all the practice Itachi and she had gotten over the years.

As soon as she'd cleared the front gates Naomi went up in smoke, appearing again in the arena Itachi and she had trained in as kids. He was there, underneath the Sakura tree. Naomi smiled briefly at the fact that she could still count on finding him in the arena, but that was wiped away as she took in the rest of the scene. A bag was open at his feet with weapons and gear scattered all around it. He was packing. And, by the looks of the things he intended to take, leaving the village.

She hadn't left the shadows yet, so she came right up on him. Leaning against the trunk of the tree, Naomi allowed herself to be detectable again.

Itachi gave out a sigh the moment her familiar chakra became acknowledgeable again.

"Naomi." There was no growl, just the simple statement of her name.

"Where're you planning on going?" his sister asked, relieved at the possibility of a civilized conversation.

A long silence stretched between them like the huge chasm that had separated them over the past few months. The tree's leaves didn't rustle. The birds all slept in a dead quiet. There was no moon in the sky, allowing little light to see his face.

"I don't know yet. Away from here though," he finally replied.

"Why?" His words to the police earlier today rang in Naomi's ears as she asked this. _I've had enough, there's no hope left for this pathetic clan._

"You wouldn't understand Naomi," he said. He said it in the same way that he used to give her orders on missions that would keep her out of harm's way.

"Try me," Naomi argued stubbornly.

She could see his obsidian eyes move to look at her. Had it been lighter out she may have a hint of remorse, but there, in the dark of night, all she saw was the cold emptiness that had taken over her brother's features. He placed the last kunai into his pack and rose, slinging the bag over his shoulder. His stance relaxed, as if he knew that Naomi would not attack him.

When he spoke again, his words were calm and even. There was no aggression as there had been for so long before.

"Maybe I'll tell you when we meet again."

Naomi was confused. How long was he planning on leaving for? What about Sasuke? He was going to need them to help him through the academy.

"When will that be?" she finally asked.

Running a hand through his shaggy black hair, Itachi turned his back to his sister. He glanced back at her briefly, and she could see red. It wasn't the normal sharingan though. There was something different about the jutsu in his eyes. Despite this change, his look was hard again. Rage radiated off of him and his icy gaze seemed to freeze her blood. "Farewell sister, and may this tree be our secret keeper."

Normally these words would have been a comfort, but there was no compassion in his tone as the words left his mouth. And, they made no sense to her in that moment in time. When they were children, they would sit under the tree and talk about everything under the sun. They'd had a special pact that if they wanted something to stay between them, they always spoke it under the tree. In this way, the tree had kept all of their secrets. Did he want her to stay quiet about him leaving?

Before she could form another question he was gone. Not a puff of smoke rose; her brother had simply vanished. He couldn't have used her shadow jutsu, because she melded into the shadows, she didn't simply disappear at first. Itachi had vanished into thin air in the same way that the brother she had once known had vanished into the stranger she had just witnessed leaving.

"Goodbye…brother…" the last word fell out as an almost silent whisper.

A single tear fell from her violet eyes before she disappeared into smoke, arriving back home just to await the dawn that would whisk her away from the village again.

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_AN2: So this goodbye scene was not quite as climatic as i had first imagined, but in recent decisions on my storyline, this fit better. So i hope you liked it and i DO promise another chapter sometime in february. Maybe even two of them next month. they;re written, it;s just a matter of typing them._

_You see that box down there, you know you want to review ;))_


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Sorry about the wait guys. I thought i'd have it typed sooner but school calls. I DO have two more chapters written, i just have to get them typed... which is the biggest challenge in my schedule. PLEASE REVIEW!_

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**Chapter Five: The Mission**

The skies were still dark when Naomi woke the next morning. Glancing out the window, the position of the stars told her that she had an hour before dawn. Slowly she slipped out of bed and crept down the hall to their bathroom. She took her time cleaning up and then returned to her room to get dressed.

Naomi was dressed in the regulation Anbu uniform of a tight fitting black shirt and pants with a white vest. She and Kiyoshi would be the only team members in that uniform. Meticulously she wrapped her wrists and ankles in white tape. A small weapons pouch hung at her hip and her feet were clad in black boots that covered to the middle of her calf. The Anbu symbol was embroidered on one shoulder while the Uchiha fan rested alone on the other shoulder. She stared at her reflection in her mirror as she tied her regular leaf headband loosely around her neck.

Shock went through her briefly at the sight of the person staring back at her. Her violet eyes were red-rimmed from tears she must have shed in her sleep the night before. Her lips were set in a grimace and her eyes looked blank. Framing her face was a curtain of limp, black hair. With a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair, the way Itachi had as he was preparing to leave. After blinking a few times, life began to seep back into her features. She couldn't let Itachi affect her like that. He may have been drug down into his dark depths, but, no matter what happens, she couldn't let her brother suck the life out of her.

In order to tame her hair, she ran a quick brush through it and then braided it up into a ponytail. Satisfied that she as ready, she turned for the door. Before leaving her room, she grabbed the equipment pack on the end table by the door and her white, cat-faced mask with the tiny leaf symbol on the forehead.

Silently, Naomi slipped into the hall and went first to Sasuke's room. He was sound asleep in his bed. His sheets were falling half off of him. His mouth was slightly open and his head lay at an odd angle. One arm was raised on his pillow above him while the other lay sloppily off the side of the bed. Naomi couldn't help but laugh silently. Sasuke was so innocent looking when he slept.

Without a sound, she crouched by the edge of his bed, and lightly brushed his bangs away, smiling at her younger brother. How she hated leaving on her missions and leaving him. But she knew that she was an important member of her teams and knew what was expected of her. Leaning down she brushed a kiss across his forehead and then rose to leave again.

"Love you, Naomi." It was a sleepy whisper that he only seemed to be awake long enough to say.

At the door she turned her head to glance over her shoulder. He had shifted to being curled up against the wall with his back to her. Another small smile touched her lips.

"Love you too, Sasuke. Be good," she whispered into the darkness. Then, she was gone in a silent puff of smoke.

The team gathered just outside the gates. Naomi and Kiyoshi were clad in their Anbu uniforms with their masks on top of their heads, not yet concealing their faces. The other four wore the leaf village Jonin uniform of leaf green pants and vest with a black, long sleeved undershirt. They each wore their forehead protectors either tied to their upper-arm or in place on their forehead.

* * *

Sunlight was just beginning to light the horizon when Asuma pulled a map out of his leg pouch. Pointing to a path he said, "We'll take this passage from our region into the Rain village's regions. From there, we'll take the route that the Hokage assigned to us. As he said, their village is surrounded by dense forest. Haru, Naomi, keep your sharingan activated and be on the lookout for traps."

Both Uchihas nodded in understanding. Naomi looked over at her cousin. He glanced back at her and, at the same time, both of their sets of eyes shifted to red.

"Any more questions?" Asuma asked with finality.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Alight then, let's move out."

Without another sound, the entire team raced off into the forest toward an enemy they knew next to nothing about. This was the reason at least two Anbu ninja were assigned to the squad.

As the village disappeared into the distance, Naomi looked back for just a second. Little did she know, if and when she returned, that her life would never be the same as when she stepped out of those huge gates for her mission.

* * *

The squad was camped out about five kilometers away from the Rain Village. For two days they detected nothing. They sent the mockingbird call out periodically every couple of hours, but no response was returned. They'd sent Yori and Estuko ahead, but they returned to inform the rest that there were dozens of traps between them and the village, but that they could detect for sure, but he could not detect anybody near there.

Asuma was getting antsy with just waiting, but they were under orders to be received by the underground security team that they were supposed to meet.

On the third night, the team was asleep, all except for Asuma and Naomi. They sat side-by-side at the base of a huge tree drawing possible plans in the dirt with sticks.

"I don't like this," Asuma muttered, "All this waiting around. Something isn't right. We should have had some contact by now. I'm surprised we haven't been ambushed yet." He shook his head in annoyance.

"You should let me scout the village. I can conceal myself in the shadows; they'll never know I'm there," Naomi said.

Asuma threw a sidelong look at his fried. He worried about her out on these missions. She was so determined, the same way her brother had been in the past. The difference was, she wasn't cocky about her outstanding abilities. She knew she was good and didn't feel like she had anything to prove. Naomi was strong, he had to admit-everyone did- but every time Asuma looked at his sixteen year old comrade, he still saw the six year old little girl at the academy that he'd befriended.

Grudgingly, he sighed. Naomi wasn't that little girl anymore though, and he had to remember that.

"Fine. You're right. You are the only one capable of completely concealing yourself. At dawn tomorrow, you go scout the village."

Naomi grinned darkly, nodded and stood.

"Well I'd better get some rest. Wake me if you need relief from watch," she said.

"I will."

As she turned away from Asuma, her grin dropped. Something was wrong-not only in this village, but back home too. Everything inside of her ached. She hated that she didn't know what was happening at home. The aching had started the very night that they had left the leaf. Now, it was accompanied by sinking pit in her stomach. All of the waiting around was only making it worse. She needed this mission to get moving.

* * *

The next morning, Naomi's eyes opened just as the sun was coming over the horizon. She sat up and found Asuma still awake under the tree. Within minutes she was armed and ready to head out.

"Be careful," Asuma whispered with a hand on her shoulder. He handed her an ear piece and neck microphone with the other. "No matter what you see, do not leave the shadows; do you understand?" This was stern. There was no question that right then, Asuma was being the first in command and not just her friend.

Naomi nodded in compliance.

"And give us updates every few minutes."

"Yes sir," Naomi replied seriously.

When Asuma nodded that he was done, Naomi grinned.

"I'll be fine Asuma," she assured, "You worry about me too much."

Then, without another word, Naomi's hands rapidly formed the signs for her shadow concealing Jutsu. The movements were too quick for anyone to see without the sharingan or byakugan. Asuma was always amazed when he watched her fade into the shadows. It was uncanny how well the Jutsu worked. She was undetectable by everyone unless they knew how to counter it.

After only ten minutes of moving through the forests' shadows, Naomi had yet to see any guards or watch-out ninja. She _had_ seen over three dozen traps though.

There was silence as well when she entered the village shadows. Not a single person was on the streets.

"What the hell?" Naomi whispered.

"Are you in the village?" Asuma's voice crackled in her ear.

Her eyes were scanning everything around her.

"Yes," she replied distractedly, "but Asuma, there's nobody here," she continued in confusion. The village looked as if it had been empty for months.

"What?!" Asuma exclaimed.

Naomi winced as his voice snapped in her ears, too loudly.

"The village is deserted. I don't feel any chakra anywhere. My sharingan isn't detecting any concealed persons. This place has been empty for months, if not years."

Over the earpiece she could hear Asuma muttering and cursing incoherently. Then his speech shifted to conversation with another- one of her comrades she assumed. Silence fell over Naomi as she waited for Asuma's orders.

Finally, Asuma said, "Naomi, get back here immediately." His voice was tight, as if he'd just received bad news- other than the fact that they'd been waiting for a rendezvous that was never going to take place.

* * *

Asuma's hands clenched the scroll of paper he's been handed just minutes ago. Naomi had just informed him that the village was deserted. Then, before he could think of anything to be done, Haru had given him a message that the Konoha messenger bird had just dropped in their camp.

Sweat beaded on his forehead. How was he going to tell Naomi? Shakily, he unrolled the paper again in hopes that he'd actually imagined the previous words.

_Asuma Sarutobi-_

_ Your team is ordered to return to Konoha Village __**IMMEDIATELY**__. The Uchiha clan has been completely massacred. Return the moment this is received. _

_ -Lord Hokage the Third_

There was no luck. The message was short but he had not imagined the words. How could it be? The whole clan- massacred? Asuma looked over his shoulder at Haru. Did he have, with him on this squad, the only two Uchihas left? Then, he thought of Naomi again. She was one of his best friends. He didn't know whether her brothers were alive or if she and Haru were alone.

"Asuma?"

His hand clamped down on the paper and crumpled it at the sound of her voice behind him. It took him a moment to compose himself, but once he did, he turned to face Naomi.

"Do you have all of your gear packed?"

She nodded, holding her pack up for him to see. The look in her eyes said that she was compressing the urge to ask what was wrong. Not much got past her.

"Everyone, we're moving out. We'll be in the same formation as our journey here," he said louder for the whole squad to hear. Everyone got to their feet and nodded.

* * *

The team was traveling quickly through the forest. They'd made it ten kilometers in silence. Naomi casted glances over to Asuma every few minutes. His features were stony and he wouldn't look back at her.

She was so caught up in that that she hadn't been paying as good of attention as she should have been. As she turned away from Asuma, a flash caught her eye. It was too late though; by the time she realized that it was a trip wire, Yori had gone right through it.

"Everybody get down!" She yelled.

Nobody asked questions, they all dropped from the branches and hit the ground. Naomi had just flattened herself to the ground when five tree tops exploded above them. She winced at the noise and threw her hands over her ears. Fiery leaves, bark, branches and dust rained down around her.

When the explosions finally subsided, Naomi looked up, red eyes searching the dusty air. The haze was against her though- She couldn't see anything with her sharingan.

_There!_- to her right, three shadows were standing. Naomi got to her feet just in time to dive away from her original spot as shuriken shot toward her. It was almost too late before she noticed the tags attached to them. Without really thinking, she dove away again as the tree behind her exploded from the shuriken.

"Aag!" she yelped as the explosion threw her painfully into the trunk of another tree.

The dust was still too bad for her to see who her attackers were, but a glance to the left made her find Haru sprawled in the bushes. An arm was twisted at a horrible angle, but that wasn't what froze her in place. The thing that got her was the tree limb protruding from his abdomen. His eyes were wide open, the sharingan fading from them. Blood was drying from where it had left his open mouth.

Involuntary tears threatened to escape.

"Haru…" she whispered sadly. Naomi only had time to close her fallen comrades' eyes before she had to dodge another onslaught of, normal his time, shuriken. One clipped her shoulder, leaving a small wound. A hiss escaped her lips. Finally, squatting in the dirt, Naomi got her hand signs up and disappeared into the shadows. Now that the ninja couldn't detect her, she made her way as close as the shadows allowed her.

All three were clad in black robes with red clouds stitched into them. Each had a different village's forehead protector on, but one trend followed each headband. A slash ran across each village's symbol. These had to be the Akatsuki rogues. She couldn't see their faces though.

They seemed to be scanning the forest for her, but she knew they would not find her.

Off, in the distance, Naomi could make out three mockingbird calls. Glancing back at the three rogues, she shot off toward the calls. Where the dust began to clear, Naomi could finally feel the familiar chakras of her other teammates. When they came into full view, she released her Jutsu and appeared in front of them. They jumped at her sudden appearance, but then quickly glanced behind her.

"Have you seen Haru?" Asuma asked urgently.

Fighting tears again, Naomi looked her friend and captain in the eyes.

"Haru is dead. She was impaled by a branch, I assume, from the explosion."

Asuma paled. Then he nodded, "Very well. We must get back to the village."

"Wait, there's more," Naomi said, stopping Asuma from turning away. "I was attacked by three ninja. They were in black and red robes. My guess is that they were members of this Akatsuki group."

His eyes widened. "They're still out there?"

"Yes. I escaped by the shadows."

"We must move then."

Without another word, Asuma turned and shot off toward Konoha. The remaining teammates fell into step behind him. As they went, Naomi healed her cuts and held back her sadness at the loss of Haru.


End file.
